Brendan Kenneally (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion and to support the Government amendment. The sea fishing sector has faced a great deal of difficulty over the past number of years due to declining stocks in EU waters. Whether people like it or not, we must regulate the sector to address the problem. If we do not do so, the fish will disappear and there will be no industry. A number of years ago, the waters off Morocco were full of fish, but the country allowed the Spaniards access to them under various agreements which failed to provide enough safeguards for the stocks. Those waters have been completely fished out. Agadir should be one of the world's premier fishing ports, but its vessels are tied up to rust and decay. We cannot and will not allow that to happen in our waters.

The Government has done extremely well in very difficult circumstances. The Irish Box was the priority for interested groups when asked about their fears for the Irish fishing industry in consultations prior to the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on that same subject 12 months ago. The Irish Box was established on 1 January 1986 and was supposed to be abolished on 1 January 1996, but we succeeded in maintaining it. While there were changes to it on foot of the Council meeting 12 months ago, by and large, everybody was happy with what the Government achieved. That the Irish Box will continue to operate until 31 December 2008 is a measure of Government efforts to ensure the viability of our fishing industry. The co-operation of the Department and the industry in the context of the Council was pleasing. For too long, Irish efforts in this area have been fragmented.

There was a further example of co-operation at yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to which the Minister referred. Representatives of various fishing industry bodies attended to speak of the need for conservation of cod stocks in the south east. It is indicative of progress that industry interests came together to make such a suggestion.

However, I have certain concerns. Fishermen in my area ask why they always seem to be the ones required to suffer. There is supposed to be a cohabitation agreement. Fishermen from the south east are seeking the establishment outside the 1,500 sq. m. which have been set aside for conservation under an international agreement, of a 15 to 20 sq. m. area for gill-netting.

While most of the larger trawlers can come in and hoover up fish, local fishermen have been asked to give up their traditional fishing grounds. They are playing by the rules and trying to ensure there is a future in fishing. The minimum mesh in the nets they use is 30 mm above the recommended size and they catch no discards or juvenile fish. Fishermen in the south east operate in a tidal fishery and can only work seven or eight days out of every 14. I ask for them to be facilitated in the context of the so-called "cohabitation agreement". There is no point in fishermen like these making conservation efforts if next year or the year after large boats enter their waters and hoover up fish stocks. There should be some derogation for them. The complaint I hear year on year from fishermen around Dunmore East relates to large vessels. Such vessels should be prevented from coming within six miles of the shore and I hope a provision will be made to that effect.

I cannot accept some of the points speakers made about fishery harbours. They are all being developed. Improvements have taken place at Castletownbere, Killybegs and Dingle. Works continue at Rossaveel and there are proposals for Clogherhead and Dunmore East. The latter is the area on which I am most competent to speak and I know plans for it are very exciting. The harbour is currently choked, forcing boats to travel up river to Waterford. The favoured plan will involve the establishment of a new breakwater and the creation of an outer harbour providing greater capacity for fishing boats and freeing the inner harbour for tourism and leisure facilities. These plans are a great demonstration of co-operation among different interests and a model for other areas to adopt. The state-of-the-art facilities being provided nationally will enhance the attractiveness of our harbours for commercial activity.

It would be difficult to speak on these subjects without raising the vexed question of angling. We must consider salmon fishing. At the meeting of the joint committee yesterday, the Minister said he was against a buy-out of existing licences. The Indecon report of April 2003 examined the subject in considerable detail. While there is no doubt that tourism angling will add more to the economy, there are many valid reasons for allowing commercial fishermen to fish in peripheral and coastal regions. Approximately 70% of commercial fishermen would be prepared to consider a buy-out if one were offered. Referring to the buy-out in north-west England, the Minister told the joint committee that if Irish commercial fishermen were given equivalent sums, it would cost the Exchequer €100 million. I do not think fishermen would expect that much. There is a great case for a buy-out to which angling interests are prepared to contribute. A voluntary buy-out, as described in the Indecon report, is something we need to consider to a greater extent.